6. Chronic Cough: The Persistent Interrupter
The chronic cough—always showing up uninvited, disrupting conversations, sleep, and even that engrossing movie. But wait a minute; this isn’t your run-of-the-mill smoker’s cough or a lingering after-effect of a cold. If you’re grappling with esophagitis, a stubborn cough can become part of your everyday experience.
Picture yourself at a social gathering; everything’s fine until your cough takes center stage. It’s like a broken record, repeating at the worst possible moments. That’s because, with esophagitis, the inflamed esophagus irritates the vagus nerve. This nerve has far-reaching connections, one of which is linked to your cough reflex.
But why is this particular cough so relentless? Here’s the kicker: when your esophagus is inflamed, it’s less effective at keeping stomach acid where it belongs—in your stomach. That stray acid can waft upwards, irritate your throat, and voila—a chronic cough is born. The sensation is hard to ignore, like the echo of chalk scraping against a blackboard.
This symptom doesn’t operate in a vacuum; it often teams up with other disruptive symptoms like a sore throat or regurgitation. Think of them as the three musketeers of esophageal discomfort, turning your life into a series of unfortunate events. And no, you can’t simply cough your way out of this situation.(6)
